In the wee hours of the morning, past the midnight deadline for shutting down the state government, our august leaders in the legislature passed an excruciatingly bad budget. That doesn’t mean, however, that we’re rescued, because the governor still has to pass or veto it. And there’s a good chance she will veto, because they took out her one-cent sales tax hike.
Local reporting here is so poor it’s hard to get a straight story—or much of any story—about what’s going on. Apparently they also took out the proposed flat tax, but getting details isn’t easy; the Arizona Capitol Times and the Arizona Guardian, which report decently on statewide issues, are by subscription only, so you can’t get into the story past the lede. The Repulsive offers a few details on its website, ruminating on whether the governor will veto or not (she has threatened to veto any bill that doesn’t include a sales tax increase) and reporting in a cursory way about the massive cuts to education and health care this thing entails.
Brewer (the guv) has ordered that state operations continue as usual and told state workers to appear at work on time this morning. Some observers think that indicates she intends to sign at least part of the bill. The Guardian suggests she’ll veto all but one of the package, leaving just enough in place to keep the government running for a while. She has ten days in which to make a decision.
One of the liveliest political bloggers in these parts drove up from Tucson to attend the legislative session, which went on past 1:00 a.m. According to him, the Democrats forced voice votes on a series of proposals to ameliorate the most vicious effects of the retrograde budget package, which of course the Republicans knee-jerked down—providing plenty of grist for the 2010 elections.
Meanwhile, most of the state’s parks, except for a few where local municipalities volunteered to oversee them temporarily, have already closed down. The Republican party, evidently grasping the implications for its political future, is calling for increases in clean election funding and in the amounts PACs can contribute to candidates by way of helping out prospective GOP candidates.
As for my own Beloved Employer, the prez sent out an e-mail telling everyone to report to work as usual and claiming that only 25 percent of the institution’s funding comes from the state.
Arizona State University, which has nearly 20,000 students attending summer classes and programs, more than 10,000 staff and students involved in research supported by a wide range of funding sources, and 70,000 students arriving in 6 weeks for the fall semester will remain open for service during this period of financial decisions by our partner, the State of Arizona.
More than 75 percent of ASU operating revenues come from sources other than the state of Arizona. Specific tuition driven and research driven revenues fund our summer operations. As a result we will focus our attention relative to state funding interruptions on our planning for the fall semester.
A state government shutdown lasting through the opening of the fall semester on August 24 would impact staffing and program availability significantly.
The exact impact and the ability of the university to operate normally will be evaluated on a weekly basis moving forward.
In the interim all assignments and work of the university will move forward.
Evidently intended to stave off panic, this missal is full of speciousness. Twenty-five percent of the university’s budget is huge, more than enough to shut the place down. It is, after all, a state university, not a private college. And it has already sustained cuts that have forced it to can hundreds of workers, closing down entire academic programs. The likelihood that the state will shut down and stay shut down through the middle of August, when fall semester begins, is nil. But that little bit of drama does allow him to segue quietly to the remark that operations will be reassessed on a week-by-week basis. In other words: at any time you could be laid off…
My paycheck notice is online, but it remains to be seen whether the money actually will be deposited in the credit union on Thursday. I’m expecting it will. But as for next payday: it’s anyone’s guess.
